Yet When He Smiled
by svartbil
Summary: After Link have woken up in the shrine of resurrection he meets a character who will make his journey a lot more interesting, and possibly change his view about his purpose in the world. Contains spoilers for Breath of the Wild.
1. You haven't aged a day

"Hand me that dish with the red powder will you?"

Link turned to the large tipped-over log serving as a good side table. Several cooking items were placed on top of it; a wet plate emptied of chopped vegetables, a half-full bag of chickpeas and a few other bowls. He grabbed a smaller ceramic bowl with some red stuff in it and gave it to the young man seated next to him. The man took a whiff of the powder by moving the bowl in circles under his nose.

"Dried pepper," he said to Link, who watched him attentively. "You'd think it would have a harsher scent, or spicier taste, but it's quite subtle," the man shook some of the powder in the chugging stew, cooking in a pot over the open fire. "If you want spicy I suggest chili, but if you want a good taste you go with pepper," he said and then turned the wooden ladle a few rounds in the stew.

Link watched him stir while resting his elbows on his knees. The man observed him from the corner of his eye, Link's gaze was on the fire. It illuminated the blue in his eyes.

"You like it spicy?" the man asked him. Link raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"Keeps you warm," he said indifferently. The man chuckled.

"Oh yeah the old grandma's trick." He leaned in closer to the pot, it smelled just like he wanted to which was a little relieving since he'd decided he wanted to impress the boy, that's why he'd brought out some special spices from the pantry he didn't use as often. "The thing about spicy though," he said and scooped up some stew on the ladle, making sure some good pieces of vegetables came with. While holding one hand cupped under the ladle with the hot stew he sat back on the log he shared with Link. "Is that it never quite makes up for good taste," he continued and brought the big spoon closer to Link. "Here."

Link looked at him and then at the spoon, wondering if he should take it or not. The man wondered to himself if he should have handed Link the spoon, but he was confident. Then Link leaned in just a little and parted his lips to show that he accepted the offer. The young man put the spoon in Link's mouth and his lips embraced it.

Link looked up and into the distance while tasting the food in his mouth.

"Well?" The man inquired. Link nodded.

"Yeah. It's good," he said and swallowed. It was in fact very good, he thought and licked his lips.

The man smiled to himself pleased and put the spoon in his own mouth to clean off the traces of stew that Link left. Link noticed him doing that and was amused. The man had seemed a little arrogant when they first met a few days ago. He lived in the forest Link was exploring so they had been crossing paths then and now, chitchatting while doing so and the man had been helpful by giving him directions and sometimes a snack. This afternoon Link had by chance winded upon his cabin, whereupon the man offered him food and shelter for the night. They had spent the evening preparing the meal they were going to have now and the man had given him some good cooking advice. He taught Link what food one could catch in the area and how to combine it for a good meal. He seemed all right, Link had grown fond of him.

The man looked young, probably in his early twenties. He was quite tall and looked even more so from being so slender. He carried his muscle mass where he needed it though and when he sat down he and Link were almost the same height.

The man filled two bowls with stew for them and they began digging in. The evening air was cool and some chilly winds swept by, gently tugging the loose tresses of Link's light blonde hair with it. Slightly annoyed he brought the tresses behind his long Hylian ears so he wouldn't get hair in his food. The man curiously observed those ears and then he reached out for one of them and playfully touched the point of it with his fingertip. Link stopped chewing and gave him a surprised look. The man smirked at him and went back to his bowl of stew.

"Funny ears," he mumbled and swallowed a mouth full. After noticing that Link kept giving him a look of wonder mixed with amusement, the man smirked again. "They're pointy," he paused, "in case you haven't noticed." Link was amused by the remark, but nonetheless puzzled. True the young man himself had the round ears of a human, Link had noticed that long ago, but Link's ears couldn't possibly be first ones he'd seen of its kind.

"Many people have ears like mine," he pointed out. The man raised his eyebrows and nodded, all the while he kept eating.

"Yeah I know. I still find them funny though," he said between bites. "You see we don't have many pointy-eared folks where I'm from."

Link was intrigued; the man had talked some about his business in the area, that he had a love for old ruins and historical places, but not where he was from.

"No?" Link inquired to show his interest. The man cocked his head to the side.

"Well, except my grandmother. She was from Gerudo Town. When I left home I was thinking of visiting the place she grew up in, but turns out they aren't very keen on letting hot male blood into their town," he said with half a smile and gazed off into the distance, as if reminiscing something.

"Really?" Link said with a mouth full of stew.

"Yeah I mean, she told me when I was little that only vai are allowed there but I didn't think they'd be _that_ rigorous about it," the man paused. "Especially since I've heard they let you in under _some_ circumstances," he said in a sly tone.

"Like what?" Link asked. The man suddenly got a short alarmed look, like realizing he said too much. But his expression softened when he said "I'll tell you another time."

Link snorted and lightly shook his head.

They were halfway through their meal when the man realized it made him thirsty. So he set down his bowl next to him and asked Link "you want some ale?"

"Sure," Link responded, whereupon the man disappeared for a while into his cabin. He reemerged with a mug in his left hand and a wineskin in his right.

"I have only one mug so you can have it," he said apologetically while retaking his seat next to Link and handing him the mug, filled with dark brown beverage.

"Thanks." Link took a gulp to wash the stew down, as the man did the same with the wineskin. "You have ale out here?" Link asked. Obviously the man did but he was not really a brewer, and there could hardly be one near.

"I had some stored. But it's a lot more fun to drink with company," the man stated and tapped the nozzle of the wineskin to the brim of Link's mug for a modest toast. Link responded by a nod and raising his mug a little. They then both sat their beverages on the ground by their boot-clad feet and returned to their food.

"When I was your age I wasn't allowed to drink ale however," the man said, then stopping his trail of thought when realizing he didn't even know Link's age, he had just assumed he was young. "But how old are you really anyway?" he asked, furrowing his thick eyebrows.

"Old enough," Link answered without stopping to eat, like it didn't matter the least to him. The man laughed.

"No really," he insisted. Link then sighed and let the spoon rest on the edge of his bowl.

"It's complicated," he muttered.

"How?"

Link pursed his lips before answering, as if figuring out what words to use. "Remember when we first met by that hill?" Link tossed a glance in the direction he thought the hill was located, it was in any case not visible from inside the forest, especially not since it was quite dark.

"Yeah?" the man said while eating. "You came out from that cave."

"I woke up in there." This was the first piece of information Link had disclosed to the man about that cave. He'd met the man shortly after emerging from the shrine inside, but he had been too bewildered to even say much, it had taken him about a day or two to really understand he was alive.

"Oh?" the man said. Link licked his lips and gazed with a scowl into the man's eyes.

"You said you have never seen that cave open."

"M-hm." The man nodded and stirred the little stew remaining in his bowl.

"But you've been here for some time," Link said.

"A little over a year," the man stated.

"Well, I don't know how long I've been in there." Link was now only stirring the remains of his food as well. "I can't even remember falling asleep." There was a short silence, the man didn't know what to say. To break the awkwardness he reached for Link's mug of ale on the ground.

"Maybe you had one too many of these," he said lifting the mug. Link burst out into a chuckle and slowly shook his head. The man thought Link looked cute showing his teeth when laughing, it revealed the sharp ones he had in his upper jaw.

"No," Link said slowly after composing himself. "But I have no memory from before I woke up. Not even the one in my head told me anything, more than that I had to wake up and," he paused, not sure he wanted to share the rest of what the voice had told him, he figured it would be too overwhelming for the man to hear. "But I think I know where to go from here on."

The man raised his hand a little to pause Link in his exposition. "Hold on, the one in your head?" he questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yes, it's a voice that spoke to me when I woke up. I suppose the person it belongs to have something to do with why I was in there in the first place," Link went on. But the man silently kept staring him down with an unconvinced expression. Link began wondering and then asked him "you do know about Hylian telepathy... don't you?"

The man pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. "Yes, but it's just beyond me," he said and took a sip of ale from his wineskin. Link could not tell if the man thought it was stupid or if he was feeling self-conscious for not actually knowing about it. Either way, the man's response left him feeling stupid for rambling on so much, he didn't deserve this much confusion just for asking Link's age.

"I'm sixteen," Link finally said.

The man looked at him with surprise. "You sure?" He said with a hint of a smile.

"Yeah." Link was sure; no amount of amnesia could keep him from knowing his own body.

The man nodded and they both stared into the crackling fire. The man leaned over and poked around in it with a thick stick.

"Sixteen plus a who knows amount of years," he said and glanced back at Link with a smile. Link looked up at him from a bent down head.

"Can you really be a hundred years old if you haven't lived a day?" he asked rhetorically.

"Or if you haven't aged a day," the man added and tapped Link's boot with the fire stick. The corner of Link's mouth twitched into a half smile.

"Hylian magic," he said and raised his hands and made his fingers dance in the air, like casting a spell. The man chuckled and retook his seat on the log next to Link.

"Yeah. My grandmother warned me about your kind. She used to say you're all witches and sorcerers," he taunted and lightly bumped his elbow into Link's arm. Link jumped a little inside from the direct touch. It was a little more straight forward than when the man had touched his ear.

"Well, all Gerudos are thieves," he retorted and shyly imitated the move, bumping the man's arm with his own.

"Careful or I'll steal your boots while you sleep," the man countered and held up a warning finger to Link's face. They both snickered at each other and slowly returned to watching the fire.

The man gazed at Link from the corner of his eye. He had the urge to ask something he'd been wanting to ask for a while, and the fact that Link had just reciprocated his playful move just now gave him the courage he needed to jump the gun.

"You know, if your hair gets in your face a lot I can do it up if you'd like."

Link gave him a look of wonder. The man continued.

"My ex-girlfriend had pretty long hair and she taught me how to braid it. I'm quite the expert," he said and held his hands up as some sort of proof. Link nodded and shrugged, as he did when asked if he liked his food spicy. The truth was that his mind stopped on the word ex-girlfriend. So the man had one of those. Link wondered what she looked like. Then he wondered why he even wondered at all.

The man got up halfway from his seat and leaned behind Link to get a good view of the back of his head, but after adjusting his position a little he sat back down.

"I think it's better if you..." the man paused and motioned to the ground in front of him. Link understood and got up from his seat. He then sat down on the ground between the man's feet, with his back against him. The man felt a slight difficulty in breathing normally, suddenly having the boy this close to him. But he exhaled and leaned in a little closer. He grabbed the small leather band holding together Link's little pony tail at the neck and slid it off.

Link's blonde hair fell to the sides; the leather band had left a crease across it and parts were a little tangled so it fell pretty stiff. The man figured it needed a combing, but for the lack of a comb he used his fingers. He began at Link's temples, carefully pulling the hair back and sorting the tangles out the best he could without pulling too hard. Link's hair was thick, and soft in the places it wasn't tangled.

Link felt the man's fingers gently running through every tress on his head, working their way from his bangs to the sensitive hair of the neck, sending shivers of pleasure down his back.

He enjoyed the man touching his hair, and since the man couldn't see, Link closed his eyes and smiled.

After a while he felt the man working the leather band and then giving his head a pat.

"Finished," the man said. Link touched his hair from the crown of his head to the tail in his neck; it was a braid alright, an embedded one. All of Link's hair had been braided into it, including his bangs.

"Wow." Link was impressed, the braid was neither too tight or too loose, the man hadn't overestimated himself.

"Let me see from the front," the man said and Link spun around on the ground facing him. A wide smile took over the man's face.

"Neat," he said nodding. He appeared proud of himself, but the real rush came from seeing Link's whole face unveiled. He had such fine and intriguing features. The sharp jawline and the big, sky blue eyes added to his boyish masculinity. The man was especially drawn to Link's eyebrows, they always gave him a look of being a little bothered about something, and when he smiled they gave him a look of impeccable confidence. "You look really nice," the man told him.

Link smiled a little awkward and cocked an eyebrow. He touched his temples where long tresses usually hung.

"No hair in my face," he stated.

"Nope, I delivered," the man said, then he contemplated something by furrowing his eyebrows. He dropped his chin to his chest and reached for his neck, to the knot of the bandana he always wore on his head. He untied it and slid the fabric off his head. Immediately he ruffled his caramel colored hair that had gone a little flat from the bandana. The man looked even younger with his hair ruffled like that.

He flattened out the fabric over his knee; it was a dark red and purple in a fascinating geometrical pattern. It didn't look like your everyday woodsman head wrap. The man looked at Link.

"The final touch," he said and held up the bandana, bringing it to Link's head. Link closed his eyes when the fabric touched his forehead. He cast his head down a little so the man could tie it in his neck. When it was tied the man eyed him with a more serious look.

"Now you look like a warrior," he said.

The wind changed direction and blew a cloud of smoke from the fire at them. They coughed and covered their eyes, Link returned to his seat on the log. The man poked around a little more in the fire. Link felt the fabric of the bandana hugging his hair, he touched the knot with his fingertips. He liked the idea of looking like a warrior, but he relished even more wearing this particular bandana that had both been tied and worn by the man himself. It made Link feel honored.

"So you said you knew where to go from here on," the man said suddenly. He paused to gain Link's attention. "Where will you go?" he asked and drew a circle in the dirt with the fire stick.

"I need to get off this plateau," Link said. The man nodded.

"I... think I know someone who can help you," he said and drew a cross over the circle. "There is an old man living across the plateau," he pointed with the stick in the direction Link recognized the mountains being located. "He's been living here a lot longer than I've been. He'll be able to help you better than I can."

"Who is he?" Link asked. The man shrugged.

"Just some old geezer. But he has some... abilities to help you further. Hylian magic I suppose." The man leaned in closer to Link to say the last part slightly more lightheartedly and Link smiled a little. Then they went quiet again.

A strange mood had settled like a wet blanket between the two young men. After an evening of unconditionally enjoying each other's company without any deeper care of the outside world, Link realized he had another purpose laid out for him, and the man knew he had to send Link away on his more important journey. Whatever they had together right now, they were not likely to experience again.

The man decided then and there to make the most of it.

"I do have something that could help you though," he said and caught Link's curious eye. "Hang on." The man rose and headed inside his cabin. Barely a minute later had he returned with a small glass bottle, big enough to fit in his fist. He sat down next to Link and held the bottle up so the fire enlightened the purple liquid inside. Link could see it clearly but he scooted a little closer to the man just in case.

"It's an elixir made from sunset fireflies," the man explained. "They show up a lot around here near the pond, but they only come out at night."

"What's it good for?" Link asked curiously.

"Oh I was just getting to that," the man said turned to Link's ear, his breath tickled Link's skin. "It sets all your senses on peak, so you can move about soundlessly like an expert hunter," the man put two fingers to his temple and looked straight into Link's eyes. Link smiled cunningly and met the man's gaze. His eyes were a strange mix of color, like a moss green liquid had been dripped into brown water. The color of the forest.

"It's not that hard to make once you've caught the fireflies. The more of them you put in, the better the effect. Just one firefly can give an effect lasting for a couple of minutes," the man said and held the bottle flat up in his palm for Link to grab.

But as Link was about to take it from his hand the man jerked it back and hid it by crossing his arms.

"You can see such a fine trade is going to cost you," he said and smirked. Link looked boggled for a second but regained his poise by crossing his own arms and cocking an eyebrow.

"Like what?" he inquired. Then the man leaned in and whispered right into Link's long pointy ear. He hoped the Hylian goddesses would hear it loud and clear.

Link's eyes widened and he quickly leaned away from the man.

"What, are you serious?" he exclaimed. His astounded words didn't match his facial expression however; he smiled nervously.

The man shrugged nonchalantly. Link reconsidered.

"Wouldn't it be... rather odd?" he asked.

"Do you think it would be?" the man said with a shy look in his big forest-colored eyes. Link was quiet for a moment.

"I guess not," he finally responded.

Link slowly approached the man again. The man's heart skipped a beat as Link put his face close, slightly lowered his eyelids and parted his lips. The man put his hand on the side of Link's face and their mouths met. It was a light kiss lasting for a few seconds. The man finished it by giving Link's bottom lip a quick extra peck. They didn't move away from each other but rested their foreheads together, the tip of their noses touched lightly. The man kept his hand at the side of Link's face, tenderly stroking his temple with his fingertips.

They stayed like this longer than the kiss had lasted, warming each other's faces with their hot breaths.

"What's your first name?" Link whispered.

The day they first met the man had introduced himself by his last name, which Link had barely needed to use to address him since it had only been the two of them. The man smiled before answering.

"It's Serven."

* * *

Link's feet hit the grassy ground with a thud. He ran a few yards to decrease the speed he had coming down. When he reached a steady balance he quickly brought the paraglider to the side of his body, he then came to a halt.

He took a breather and defied the bright sunlight by glancing up at the Great Plateau Tower, whose peak he just came from. He had started out by throwing himself from the lower levels of the tower, then working his way up as he grew more confident about how to use the paraglider. It was only about an hour ago he had received it from the old man that Serven told him about. And it was almost a week ago Serven had told him that by the fire.

Link had not seen Serven since. He wasn't even there when Link woke up that morning when he had slept on the floor in Serven's cabin. He had given Link his own straw mattress whereas he slept on the hard bed. When Link woke up he had found a note, cluttered at the corner of a page in a book placed very visibly near him to discover. "Bokoblins stole some stuff so can't make breakfast, gone to find them. The old man lives south of the temple ruins, good luck" it said. Link had wanted to come help Serven but since he didn't know where he was Link had moved on with the help of Serven's directions.

I'm getting good at this Link thought to himself and stretched his arms. He thought the time had come to finally leave the plateau.

Link wandered to the edge closest to the tower. He crouched down and glanced at the land below the plateau. There was not much mist today so he could mentally plan out what landing spot to aim for.

"Leaving so soon?" a familiar voice said behind him. It took Link a millisecond to recognize it since it was a lot younger-sounding than the old man's voice, which was the only human voice he'd been hearing the last week.

He turned around and saw Serven smiling at him. He was armed with a quiver and bow and was dressed in light hunting clothes with a short hooded cape.

"And without saying good bye," Serven said still smiling and removed the hood from his head, ruffling his hair just like he did that time when removing his bandana. Link rose from his crouched position and tried his best to curb his astonished joy; he was glad to see the man. He'd had the awkward feeling that Serven considered the whole thing between them had gone too far that evening and wanted things to cool off. But here he was, making Link feel special again.

"How did you know I was here?" Link asked.

"The old man told me you'd be around here," Serven said, "plus I saw you fly from the tower. That was some nice work," he added and Link could not tell if there was a hint of playful sarcasm in his words. He wondered to himself if Serven had also seen his not so gracious landing earlier when he crashed into a big rock and landed in a pond.

"I'm still learning," Link said, rolling his eyes and fiddled with the handle of the paraglider he kept close to him. Serven eyed him with amusement, he rested his glove-clad hand on the bow he'd propped on the ground.

"So do you have a better clue now of where you'll be heading?" he asked.

"Kakariko village," Link said, "I'm meeting someone there."

"Well, aren't they lucky," Serven said. Link diverted his gaze and held back an involuntary grin. "I might leave this plateau as well soon, been here long enough," Serven continued and glanced at the landscape behind him.

"What's stopping you?" Link asked.

"Nothing really." Serven shrugged. "Habit I guess."

Link hummed in response.

Then he remembered Serven said he'd spoken to the old man and Link felt the sudden urge to tell him all about what the man had revealed to him earlier by the temple ruins. So he did. He told Serven about the shrines, about the old man's true identity, and finally about the memory gap the old man had filled, why Link had been put to sleep in the shrine of resurrection and why he had been called awake. Serven listened attentively to Link's whole explanation without making a face, and when Link was done Serven was quiet for a moment.

But then a smirk slowly took over the man's face for he could not keep up the charade anymore.

Link stared at him wide-eyed. "You knew?"

Serven nodded.

"But..." Link searched for words at the same time as he ransacked his memory of the conversations he'd been having with the man. Now Serven felt he was the one owing Link an explanation.

"King Rhoam told me about you when I'd lived here for a while. Who you were and what happened to you. He told me you would wake up and when you did, I was not allowed to tell you anything about your past. King Rhoam didn't think it would be wise. Instead I was to send you directly to him when you were ready for it," Serven explained. Link didn't know what to feel. Relieved? Betrayed? There were too many revelations embedded within this day.

"Are you cross with me?" Serven asked, tilting his head to the side. Link bit his lip before answering.

"I guess not, if it was the King's orders," he said and Serven made a troubled sigh.

"Sure, but I feel like I should have told you something. It was hard to watch you struggle with your memory loss," he said. Link shook his head.

"No you did the right thing," he said. Then Serven gave him a half smile and a look of sympathy.

"Soldiers got to follow their orders, right?" he said.

"I'm afraid so," Link responded, "I have to go now." He said the words but stood still on the ground, glancing back over his shoulder at the edge of the cliff. The sun had gone behind clouds and some cooler winds swept by. They both knew this was the time to say good bye.

Then Serven took a few steps toward Link, he reached for something in his pocket and when he stopped right in front of the boy he took it out. It was the bandana.

"You forgot this by the way," he said and wrapped it around Link's head. Link bent his head to let Serven tie it in his neck. Link let his forehead rest against the young man's chest and breathed in his warm scent while Serven tied the knot. Serven felt the contact and put his hands on Link's shoulders. Link looked up at him; the bandana looked even better on him when his blonde tresses framed his gorgeous face.

"I regretted to tell you it was a gift," Serven said and gave the top of Link's head a pat.

He then stepped back to let Link prepare for the glide. The gift had enlightened Link's spirit, he now felt slightly more positive about leaving since he took a part of Serven with him. So he turned to the cliff and grabbed the paraglider with both hands. But before he did anything else he glanced back at Serven.

"Hope we meet again," he said with a confident smile.

"Me too, Link," the man saluted him with two fingers.

Link took a few quick steps and then sprinted toward the edge. A long leap, and then he was in the air. His body jerked when the paraglider caught the air and soon he was far away.

Serven headed off without looking back.

 **A/N**

 **I know OC characters are generally disliked on this site. But shit, it's a hot guy hanging out with Link, what more could one want. Plus there are so few male characters to work with when it comes to The Legend of Zelda yaoi, better just make them up.**


	2. So good cold

It wasn't the desert heat that made Link's face flush red; his pulse was running faster than normal and his stomach was turning from nervousness. He tugged on the ridiculously short halter neck top he was wearing, it kept slipping down his slim chest while he was jogging. The shoes bothered him as well; they were some form of slip-ons and a size too small so they were already chafing against his heels. Link figured he could rest his bare feet somewhere inside Gerudo Town.

He could now see the town entrance with its two guards more clearly through the piercing bright sunlight, so he slowed down to look calmer, like he strolled into this town all the time. He took the opportunity to adjust his head veil one last time. It was the piece of clothing he appreciated the most since it gave good protection against the harsh sun. He thought the veil that covered the lower half of his face was overkill, but Vilia had ensured him that it made him look more feminine. All her commendation about Link looking so cute and flawless didn't help to calm him in this moment of truth though.

Link sauntered as casually as he could and saw the two Gerudo guards eyeing him from head to toe. One of them suddenly raised her eyebrows and eased her militant pose.

"Hey Dorrah, look at this!" She hollered whereupon the other guard turned her head and Link's heart sank to his stomach. "It's a little Hylian vai. Haven't seen one of those in a while," the first guard said and put her clenched fist on her hip. "What brings you to Gerudo town, sweet heart?"

"Uhm." Link cleared his throat, carefully to not reveal his male voice. Although the guard's voice was even deeper than his, it was at least female.

"Just let her in," the other guard sighed.

"Yes, yes," the first guard rolled her eyes. "Pardon me, we don't get a lot of Hylian vai around here," she continued turned to Link. "I assume you know we don't let any voe within these walls, so feel free to kick back and let the twins relax," she said and gave Link a comical wink. Link felt uneased and glanced at the other guard who shook her head.

"Welcome to Gerudo Town, little Hylian," she said. Link nodded gratefully and wandered past the guards.

"A tip to you little Hylian, if you stop by the canteen, do yourself a favor and order a Noble Pursuit. It's the best drink you'll ever have," Link heard the first guard shouting. He turned his head to give another nod.

"I might," he courageously uttered, in the softest voice he could manage. He wasn't even sure the guards heard him. They ignored him when the second guard addressed the first one.

"You had one on your way to this shift, didn't you Merina?" he heard her saying.

"Yeah, makes the heat bearable," the first guard responded. Link diverted his attention to the town square that appeared in front of him as he headed through the entrance tunnel.

First his eyes were blinded when the sunlight was reflected in the bright sandstone; all the buildings and the ground stones were made out of it. When Link's eyes had adjusted he could see the square's center piece; a slightly elevated avenue bordered by grand palm trees, leading the way up to a modest yet stylish palace. Along the palace stairs, bright turquoise water streamed down and appeared to find its way to a tiny canal that framed the avenue.

The site had Link taken by awe for a moment, almost to the point where he forgot he was a man in disguise inside a town restricted only for women. He headed up the few steps to the avenue to get a good look around. It was without doubt the most bustling town he'd been visiting during his journey so far. The town square was lined by various shops and stalls, selling clothes, fruits, meat and other food. There was even a jewelry shop adding to the town's decadence.

Link wasn't sure where to head so he stepped down the avenue and wandered past the different stalls. "Vasaaq!" called one of the Gerudo women to him as he passed her stall. He smiled at her before realizing the veil covered it, so he gave a nod. Apart from a few Hylians and even two Gorons, the market was crowded mostly by Gerudo women. They stood at Amazonian heights and all had gorgeous dark tans that seemed to glisten in the sun. They wore clothes similar to Link's, however a little more casual looking. Link figured that Vilia had dressed him up rather than down and he awkwardly stroked the light turquoise fabric of his sleeves. They were held up by bracelets on his upper arms and his wrists and made him feel too ornate. He tried keeping his mind of his appearance though and searched for something of interest.

He bought some arrows from a grumpy older Gerudo woman, and stopped to smell the grilled meat at the next stall along with a Rito who mumbled something about poultry. He kept on wandering and then took a turn to another street and was suddenly remembered by the guard's tip when he saw a sign outside a building reading "The Noble Canteen." He headed inside to see if they served some food but apparently the place was more of a drinking bar. He asked the old woman behind the counter about the Noble Pursuit drink but she dismissed him by saying it was on the house as soon as he turned a few years older.

So instead, Link continued down the street which was almost deserted apart from a woman complaining about how noisy the canteen had become. Link didn't pay her any attention because he saw something of interest at the street's end. It was a grand arch guarded by two giant Gerudo soldier statues. Without hesitation he headed towards it. Inside was a court yard crowded by Gerudo soldiers. They were only women of course. Some of them stood even taller than regular Gerudo women and they wore armor similar to that of the guards. A small group of them was gathered in the center of the courtyard for some sort of meeting. Link slowly approached them to hear what they were discussing.

"…headed into the sandstorm we haven't seen her," one of the soldiers spoke directed to a woman adorned in armor different from the others'. Link figured she was some form of group leader.

The leader put her hand against her forehead and looked down. "First the chief's heirloom, now Barta. This truly is a disgrace." She crossed her arms and looked at her crowd with a stern face. "It is a disgrace on all of us that must be sorted out."

"But sergeant, what can we do? That sandstorm is impossible to navigate through. We'll just lose more women trying, like Barta," one of the soldiers said.

"She's not lost! She's still in there and we need to go after her. Who knows, she might have made her way into Kurosa Valley," another soldier interposed.

A murmur of arguments broke out and Link approached one of the soldiers, he tapped the back of her arm.

"Excuse me," he said in his softest voice. The soldier turned around abruptly with a sour look on her face like a bug just bit her.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said in a harsh voice.

"A Hylian vai, what's she doing here?" another soldier mumbled.

Link cleared his throat to address the whole group in his new bright voice.

"It sounds like you're in a bit of trouble," he said. All the women looked at him for a moment like he had told them a bad joke.

"Who are you, young vai?" the sergeant inquired. "This concerns only the Gerudo platoon."

All the soldiers stared grimly at Link, waiting for the sergeant's order to have the nosy blue-eyed little vai thrown out. Link realized he had to cut to the chase.

"Does The Divine Beast Vah Naboris concern the Gerudo platoon as well?" he said. Suddenly questioning glances were exchanged between the soldiers. Only the sergeant kept her stern eyes on Link, although she gave away a hint of new found curiosity.

"What about Naboris?" she asked with her adamant voice.

"If the beast is one trouble you want out of your hair, I'm your," Link paused to swallow, "vai."

* * *

"Vasaaq! Sand seals for twenty rupees!"

It was late afternoon and Link sat on the ground leaned against the sandstone wall. His weapons lay beside him as he observed the woman trying to lure in customers to rent one of the tired sand seals inside the fence behind her. Link had been considering renting one and setting off to Kurosa Valley himself but he felt too worn out to face the desert heat again. Plus it would be night time by the time he got even close so the desert temperature would turn to freezing. Now he was considering resting at the hotel he had seen in the town square instead. He could sell off some gemstones to afford it.

Suddenly he spotted something on the wall on the opposite side of the yard. It looked like a hightail lizard, but it had a strange bold color rather than the brown kind he usually caught to make elixirs. He got up on his feet and curiously crossed the yard. As he approached the lizard he took a stance to catch it. But a few feet away the lizard apparently saw something and fled down the wall, past Link's feet and into the seal renter's booth. Link grumbled and tossed a gaze at the renter, her attention was turned to a potential customer so Link sneaked into the booth. It was a big one, but not very spacious because several crates and boxes were stored inside it. Link crouched down to follow the path the lizard had taken between the crates, far into the booth.

Shortly he had lost track of the lizard but he did discover something else. At the very corner of the booth, behind all the crates there was an opening in the wall, not much taller than him and covered pretty poorly by a dusty drapery. What intrigued him however was that a murmur of voices could be heard from behind it, not the murmur of a private conversation but from a crowd of people.

Link stood up and cautiously peeked behind the drapery. It only revealed a narrow corridor with stairs, but down by the bottom of the stairs was an opening to another room, most likely the source of the voices. Link headed down the stairs and silently cursed his uncomfortable shoes.

When peeking into the other room he got a confirmation of a suspicion he had when first hearing parts of the low murmur; it was male voices.

The room looked a lot like the bar he had been visiting earlier except no daylight could get in since it was on a basement-level, instead its dim light sources came from oil lamps spread across the room. Plus not only Gerudo women were socializing in there, they were mingling with men, in a very friendly way. Link noticed an appealing woman sitting upon a rather unsightly man's lap, giggling at whatever he was talking about while she attentively stroked his hair. The men looked common; like the ones he had seen on the desert road. The women however wore clothing different from those he had seen in the market square. Instead of the comfy harem pants most Gerudo women wore they were clad in short wrap skirts that barely reached around their hips, leaving a welcoming slit that revealed the tanned skin of their thighs. Some of them even wore the adorned type of sleeves that Link had on. He hoped it was a fairly common attribute and not something only worn in a place like this.

With his hands in his pockets Link sauntered into the room and had a look around, seeing the many faces that were occupied by various things; another person, a drink or observing its surroundings. One bald middle-aged man caught Link's eye. The man viewed Link with approval and gave him an inviting grin. Link frowned, turned away his gaze and kept on heading toward the bar.

However unpleasant, Link had his profitable experience with these kinds of shady places. Because one could most likely get better information from a brothel worker than from the authorities. So his objective was set on getting the bartender's attention, a woman in her early thirties who was surprisingly plain looking for being a Gerudo. She was however busy with a customer so Link leaned against the counter to wait his turn.

He tossed a glance down the bar and got captivated by a figure wearing a familiar piece of clothing. It was a short hunting cape with its hood down, revealing a head with messy caramel-colored hair. Link's heart jumped when the man turned his head. The man's chin rested in his hand while he gave the busy bartender a look of boredom. His handsome face was so beautifully familiar to Link.

He had the sudden urge to shout the man's name, but not wanting to give away his male voice to the crowd or address Serven in his fake female voice he leaned over the counter and just waved instead. Serven's gaze met his and the young man immediately looked like he had seen a ghost.

"What the…" Serven was first confused by what young Gerudo woman he knew that would greet him so eagerly. But when he noticed the hay blonde hair sticking out from underneath the turquoise veil and the sky blue eyes calling for him the revelation hit him like a rock.

Serven motioned to him to come over and Link obeyed. Serven got down from his chair and the two young men took refuge in a dim corner where they could talk without anyone hearing.

"What are you doing here?" Serven said.

"No what the heck are _you_ doing here?" Link hissed quietly. Serven shrugged and crossed his arms.

"I came to visit my grandma's old workplace," he said nonchalantly.

Link blinked in perplexity.

"I'm kidding," Serven said and Link puffed.

"So this is what you had in mind when you said there are other ways for a voe to get into Gerudo Town?" Link said and nodded his head back at the bar.

"Yeah... but I don't think we got the same memo." Serven tilted his head and scrutinized Link's new outfit. He reached out and felt the fabric of Link's sleeves between his fingertips. "Pretty. Is it silk?" When Link flinched Serven grinned. Link didn't exactly mind but he had questions needing to be asked.

"Seriously, I mean what are you doing _in here_?" Link asked and discreetly pointed behind him with his thumb. Serven rolled his eyes and gave a deep sigh.

"What's your first guess, Link?" he said and Link felt a mild distaste, maybe because he didn't want to see Serven in that way or because he felt ridiculous for even asking such an obvious thing.

"Never mind," he said and shook his head. Serven gave him a half smile.

"Lighten up," he said and gave Link a light punch in the shoulder. "They give good massages here, and if you slip them a few extra hundred rupees, you know…" he said and shrugged, "you should try it." Link snorted at the idea.

"I'll pass. If I take my clothes off they'll kick me out," he said and glanced back suspiciously.

"Not in here they won't," Serven said confidently.

"I'm not taking any risks. I'm on an important mission."

"That led you in here?" Serven snickered. Link suddenly felt stupid, plus he remembered his weapons were still laying outside in the yard. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink," Serven said and slapped his hand on Link's naked shoulder. Link accepted by following Serven to the bar where they each took a seat next to each other. This time the bartender noticed them which gave her a stressed expression, so she hurried to a ladder in the corner that led up to an opened hatch in the roof. The bartender howled up to the second floor.

"Furosa! A little help downstairs!"

Shortly a familiar older Gerudo woman came climbing down the rickety steps. She tiredly wiped her forehead with the towel thrown over her shoulder. After her breather she approached Link and Serven, but when her eyes landed on the blonde Hylian she glared at him.

"You again?" she said in astonishment, and then directed her words to Serven while pointing at Link. "She's too young to drink here."

Serven gave Link an amused glance. It tickled him how a few pieces of clothing really had the old bartender fooled that Link was a girl, although he was pretty impressed by Link's transformation himself.

"Are you kidding? She's over a hundred years old," he said in a sincere tone and made the bartender look puzzled. Link laid his forehead in his hand and slowly shook his head. He could not help smirking behind his veil though.

"All right, what will the young comedian have?" the bartender asked Serven and wiped her hands on her grey harem pants. "That is if he's old enough to drink himself."

"Turning twenty next month," Serven sang and laid his head on the side. The bartender nodded and waved her hand in front of her face, implying she approved of his age. "In that case I'll have a Noble Pursuit, and the beautiful vai will have Hydropalm on the rocks," Serven said and Link cocked an eyebrow at him. He could see Serven glancing at him from the corner of his eye and giving away the tiniest hint of a shrewd smile, a smile that set the bottom of Link's stomach on fire for a second.

The bartender nodded with a grumble and turned to the shelves behind her. Link tossed a glance at the blackboard reading the drink menu.

"Hydropalm…" he repeated in a mumble.

"Yup, juice from palm fruit and hydromelon. Pretty crafty those Gerudos," Serven said, resting his elbows on the counter. They were both quiet for a little while, watching the bartender preparing their drinks.

"So you managed to leave the plateau," Link broke the silence with.

"Obviously," Serven smiled, "bloody thing took several days to descend. But it was worth it. Then I remembered the conversation we had that night and I thought, what the heck, let's see Gerudo Town."

"I thought you'd been here before, well at least in _this_ place," Link said. Serven frowned and shook his head.

"No I just heard about it. I got a password from some guy outside the town walls that you repeat to the guard on the west side," he explained.

"And the guard just let you in?" Link said in amazement, reconsidering his own strenuous method of infiltration.

"Well, they insisted on a hundred rupee bribe as well, I guess it's so they know you got money to spend," Serven said, whereupon the bartender interrupted him by placing their drink order in front of them.

The Noble Pursuit was a cloudy drink with a blueish tinge and it had been poured into a tall glass. Link's drink had a bold orange color and was poured into a shorter but wider glass.

"Twenty and thirty rupees," the bartender said, first pointing at the Hydropalm drink then at the Noble Pursuit. Serven fished around in his pocket before slipping the bartender a red rupee. She left the two young men with their refreshments. Serven had a first taste of the new exotic drink; it had a refreshing sweet taste with an undertone of something bitter. Link however struggled with his first sip, since his veil covered his mouth.

"How am I supposed to drink with this thing in the way," he grumbled and held the cold glass in front of him.

"I'm curious to see that myself," Serven said and observed him expectantly. Coming this far, Link was not about to get too comfortable and simply remove the veil, so instead he lifted it slightly and brought the glass in under it.

"She lives and she learns," Serven stated impressed as Link tasted his Hydropalm drink, it was very sweet and deliciously ice cold, unlike anything he had been drinking, at least since he woke up at the plateau. "Is it good?" Serven asked and Link nodded in satisfaction.

"So good cold."

"Yeah, I don't know how they get any ice out here. Maybe they freeze it during the night."

"Like how, put big buckets of water out in the desert?" Link said skeptically.

"Yeah maybe not, who would want sand in their ice right," Serven frowned, "there's enough sand in my clothes as it is."

"Maybe you should go native as well," Link suggested and looked up from the glass he held under his veil for another sip, "I know someone who sells Gerudo clothes at Kara Kara Bazaar."

"I just might take you up on that offer," Serven chuckled, "and make nana proud."

"She must be glad now that you visited her home town," Link said, to which Serven shrugged.

"Perhaps but I may never know. She passed away a few years ago," he said and traced the brim of his glass with his fingertip.

"Sorry to hear that," Link said.

"It's fine really, I'm long over it," Serven reassured with a dismissive hand gesture. "Now I'm following her footsteps by leaving my home town and traveling to the other side of the world. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," he said, giving Link a satisfied smile and taking a sip of his drink.

Link contemplated his words. He remembered what he had experienced a few weeks back by Lake Hylia, a memory of a rainy afternoon in Princess Zelda's company. He had recalled her precariously talking about the duty to fulfill one's purpose, even mentioning Link's father and how he in his line of duty as a knight had followed his father's path. Link had no clear picture of his father, but he kept picturing him in armor. And as Zelda's words had pried that locked door open, more memories of Link's childhood had flooded back to his mind. When he tried recalling his past few years in life though, the doors were barred shut.

"Too bad you can't see all of Gerudo Town then," Link noted.

"Yes, but there's plenty of sightseeing in the Gerudo desert. I was gonna rent a sand seal in the morning and go see the seven heroines nana told me about when I was a kid. But it turns out there's a great sandstorm in the way caused by some huge dangerous machine they call the glorious beast or something…"

"Divine beast," Link interrupted.

"Right. Did you see that thing on the way here? I think I saw it from the Kara Kara Bazaar. Man, it looked enormous, almost in a sublime way, like terrifying but beautiful."

"I've seen it. It's what I'm here for," Link stated. Serven looked confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm gonna take the beast back from Ganon," Link said, whereupon something clicked in Serven.

"You mean the calamity? That's what's causing it to rage up the storm?" he asked and Link nodded. Serven was quiet for a moment, he knew about Link's part in defeating the calamity that roamed in central Hyrule but the beast was news to him. "So that's your mission, huh? You're gonna take on the beast by yourself?"

"I don't know. If it comes down to it, yes," Link said and drew marks with his thumbs in the condensation on his cold glass.

"Sounds dangerous," Serven said without any eye contact, he seemed distressed by this new info.

"I think I'm up for it," Link said and thought it was time to give Serven some reassurance, so he unhooked the Sheikah slate from his belt and shuffled through the pictures he'd taken with its camera. He put the slate on the counter and pushed it over to Serven.

Serven had a look. The picture showed a large elephant-like creature in a lake, Serven recognized the creature's construction from the beast he had seen in the desert. Both of them were taller than the greatest buildings and even had that pink light glowing from specific body parts. Link reached in closer to change picture, the next one just showed Link's feet standing on the floor inside the beast; a shot he'd taken by accident. The following few pictures were taken of the beast's inner mechanics. Then Link switched to the pictures he'd taken afterwards, of the beast kneeling on top of the mountain, now glowing clear blue instead of pink.

"It's called The Divine Beast Vah Ruta. There are three more like it. One of them you saw in the desert. My mission is to board each one of them and get rid of the Ganon corruptions," Link explained and Serven nodded while attentively studying the pictures.

Link then slid a little too far and brought up the photos he had happily taken after the victory of himself with the Zoras. That brought a smile to Serven's face.

"Who's that?" he asked and tapped the screen.

"That's Prince Sidon. He… helped me board the beast," Link said and tried to slowly slide the Sheikah slate back to himself, but Serven grabbed the slate to have a longer look at the picture. The prince had his arm around Link's shoulders and flashed a dazzling white smile. His confident yellow eyes pierced the camera lens and his muscles where bulking underneath his red wet skin. Link was flashing a wide smile in the picture as well but was also accidentally blinking.

"Man, Prince Sidon is hot," Serven said with an approving smirk. Link snickered somewhat taken aback. It amused him how blunt Serven was being about it.

"I don't know about that," Link said, "but I used to be friends with his sister." He shuffled through a couple of pictures until the one he had taken of Mipha's statue came up. "I fought along her side in the battle with the calamity a hundred years ago. Sadly she didn't make it."

"I'm sorry," Serven said and looked troubled as he eyed the picture of the statue. "Were you close to each other?"

"Yeah, since childhood," Link said and put the Sheikah slate away. "But as we grew up I think she wanted to be more than friends."

"Oh," Serven took a swig of his drink, "And you weren't interested?"

"Not really," Link made a troubled face, "she was so kind and all, really gave everything she could for others. I could tell how much she wanted me to give her something back, like return her feelings, but I just couldn't. That's why I felt so guilty when I saw her face again in that statue. I just felt like a jerk when the Zoras kept praising her and talking about how much I meant to her."

"Hey," Serven said and tapped his foot against Link's leg, "that's not your fault. It would probably have hurt her even more if you pretended to love her back. Plus you shouldn't let other people define your relationships," he stated and took another swing, like he was really proud of what he had just said.

"Perhaps," Link said thoughtfully. "Besides, she wasn't really my type."

"Really?" Serven smirked and got some curiosity in his eyes.

"Chief Riju on the other hand…" Link said raising his eyebrows and his blue eyes wandered off at the intriguing thought. It felt good for him to break his diplomacy for a minute to say something superficial.

"Who's chief Riju?" Serven chuckled.

"She's the Gerudo chief. Come on, man," Link said and took a swig of his drink; it was mostly ice by now.

"Oh," Serven said, then screwed up his face in a grimace. "Isn't she a tad old for you?"

"No! Uh, old Riju passed on. Her daughter is in charge now," Link explained a little abashed.

"I see," Serven smirked, "got any pictures of her then?"

"Afraid not," Link said, "it was a pretty formal meeting so."

"You had a meeting with the chief huh? Thought you were a knight, not a diplomat," Serven remarked.

"I'm still just a knight. But it turns out I must prove myself before I'm permitted to approach the divine beast," Link said. He threw his head back and let an ice cube slide out the glass and onto his tongue.

"How so?" Serven asked. Link sucked on the ice cube in his mouth for a moment before answering.

"I can't tell you, it's diplomatic secrecy," he said tongue-in-cheek. His unexpected cheekiness filled Serven with attraction. He tended to find Link's typical shyness appealing, but he grew wild inside the few times Link broke character, which he seemed to be doing more often in his Gerudo disguise.

"Yeah well, you're not a diplomat, just a knight," Serven retorted in the same playful manner.

"Fine," Link gave in, "I'm going northwest to Kurosa Valley in the mountains. There I'm taking back Riju's thunder helmet the Yiga Clan stole from her."

Serven furrowed his eyebrows.

"The Yiga Clan?"

"Yeah. You know anything about them?" Link asked. Serven diverted his gaze and tilted his head.

"Just that they're a band of thugs that supports Ganon. Apparently they recruit young hoodlums with no other place to go and train them into reckless thieves and assassins," Serven said.

"How do you know all this?" Link asked. Serven got a serious expression on his face.

"Because the Yiga Clan is huge. They have goons all over Hyrule. Heck, the first time I heard about them was back home." Serven paused. "Are you sure you wanna take them on?"

Link frowned.

"I'll do whatever I have to get the chief's heirloom back. Without it there's no way to get near the divine beast."

Serven sighed deeply and leaned on his crossed arms on the counter. He stared into his empty glass while thinking. He then turned back to Link.

"Then I'll come with you."

Link stared at him like he'd been asked to jump off the moon.

"What?"

"I'll come with you, I'll help you take the heirloom back," Serven repeated, this time more reassuringly.

Link considered the idea, but although he was not completely opposed to it he wasn't sure Serven knew what he was getting himself into.

"You don't have to, I'm capable of going by myself," Link said. If Serven was not completely set for the idea he would probably back out anyway. Serven snorted.

"I'm sure you are. But it can't hurt turning it into a two man operation. I mean if they caught and killed you that would be it, not only for you but for the Gerudo people and apparently all of Hyrule in the end. If both of us went we'd have a better chance succeeding," he argued. Link felt himself more convinced.

"But… can you swing a sword?" he asked, Serven shrugged.

"I'm good with a bow. I could cover you in close combat," he suggested. Link remembered their days on the plateau, although he had never seen Serven fire an arrow he knew the man hunted for living and remembered he had said he was used to fight off bokoblins. Besides, if he accepted Prince Sidon's help boarding the divine beast why shouldn't he take Serven's assistance with this mission? Link took a deep breath.

"All right then. We're leaving tomorrow morning after renting sand seals," he said and Serven gained a look of contentment.

"Sounds good. I'm heading back to Kara Kara Bazaar then. I'm gonna rest at an inn I saw there," he said yawning and stretched in his seat.

"You're not staying in here for the night?" Link asked lightheartedly and nodded at the crowd of Gerudo prostitutes that had gathered in the center of the room to play a loud game with a group of travelers. Serven smirked at the idea and frowned his nose.

"Nah, it costs too much to spend an entire night here. Besides, I need a good night's rest, the mountains are far from here. But you stay here and tell me all about it," he said and gave Link a shrewd grin, making Link chuckle.

"I'll head upstairs, there's a hotel in the market square. For vai only of course," Link said and pretended to bring a tress of hair behind his ear. Serven shook his head and pursed his lips.

"Lucky girl."

The two men left their seats and their emptied glasses. Link waited for Serven to collect his backpack, bow and quiver before they exited the same way Link entered earlier. Another two male travelers passed them in the stairs. Link didn't meet their gazes but right when they'd passed, one of them mumbled to the other, "shame that one was taken." Link grumbled by disgust and followed Serven out the booth and into the yard. During the time they had spent in the bar the sky had turned orange, the sun would set in an hour or so.

Link was happy to see his weapons lay untouched in the place he'd left them and he ran off to collect them. He then turned back to Serven who stood leaning on his hip, waiting to say good bye.

"Well then," Serven began, then a loud whistle cut him off. It came from the woman renting out sand seals.

"No voe loitering, out quickly!" she hissed and motioned to the town entrance. Serven made a guilty face in Link's direction and sauntered to the entrance, Link followed him. They stopped in their tracks when they were a few feet outside. The guard gave them a stern look but no other interaction, so they ignored her.

"So what say we meet outside the main entrance tomorrow morning? I'll tell them to wake me up early but it might take me an hour to get here," Serven said.

"It's a plan," Link agreed nodding.

"Shake on it," Serven reached his hand out. Link grabbed it and felt Serven's gracious fingers hugging his hand in a firm shake. They kept reassuring eye contact during the shake and Serven gave away a friendly smile, Link mirrored it although the veil covered it.

"Sleep well," Serven said before folding the hood over his head.

"See you in the morning," Link responded whereupon Serven turned on his heel and headed off. Link did the same and wandered back to the entrance.

"Link!" He suddenly heard Serven call so he stopped under the arch and turned around. Serven came jogging back and when coming to a halt right in front of Link he bent down slightly and quickly whispered into his pointy Hylian ear.

"By the way, I love you in that outfit."

As quickly as he'd returned he set away again, flicking up sand with his boots as he ran. Link's eyes followed his figure for a little while. It took him a moment to digest what Serven had said, but when it sank in Link rubbed his neck and sniggered behind his veil.


	3. A perfect hit

_7... 8... 9... 10... and 11._

It was a daring number of arrows to bring but Link had managed with less. Besides, a fewer number of arrows sharpens one's concentration for accuracy rather than wasting them, he thought.

He pushed all the arrows down their quiver and put it aside him. Once again he stared in the direction of Kara Kara Bazaar for a figure heading his way, but none so far. He dangled his legs and breathed in the cool morning air. The desert temperature was actually pleasant during the sunrise, like a day of spring in central Hyrule. It was a little chilly under the canopy though, a place close to the Gerudo Town entrance where travelers could take cover from the broiling sun.

Link suddenly noticed a figure jogging toward him, but not from the Kara Kara Bazaar. It was a man coming from the corner of the town walls. He was dressed in green and black and as he approached the canopy his eyes landed on the short blonde Hylian girl, sitting upon one of the crates and wearing very flattering Gerudo clothes.

The man felt himself instantly drawn to the fair complexion together with the exotic Gerudo wear and he brought some extra effort into jogging the last yards. When he reached the canopy Link gave him a look. The man had dark hair to his shoulders, square glasses and a big chin. Maybe some people would find him agreeable, if they liked a face of self-assured arrogance that is; Link was not one of those people.

When the man came to a halt in the shadow for a breather he greeted Link with a nod. Link gave a smaller nod in return without any eye contact.

"Sav'otta," the man said grinning, "you here by yourself?"

Link closed his eyes and shrugged. The man looked pleased.

"Mind if I join you?" he said removing his backpack and tossed it aside to the ground, obviously making himself comfortable no matter the response.

"Nice sand-jogging," Link said. The man had been pretty fast considering the sand was a drag to move across, at least in Link's own Hylian boots or his Gerudo slip-ons.

"Yeah, I know," the man said a bit smug with his hands on his hips, "jogging on sand is a bit tough but it's simply the best. If you're tenacious enough like me, it might even be easy," he said cocking an eyebrow.

"Or with proper foot-wear," Link noted and regarded the man's boots, they looked specially made and light to wear.

"Ah, you noticed these old things? Yeah, they're my sand boots," the man said and swayed back on his heels to proudly regard the boots himself. "True, they make jogging on sand a breeze. You wanna have a closer look?" he asked with an inviting smirk. Link was uncomfortable by the looks the man kept giving him but began thinking he could use it to his advantage.

So Link leaned back on his hands to splay his bare tanned stomach and pushed out his flat chest to make it appear more ample. To top it off he tilted his head slightly to the side and gave the man a concerned wide-eyed look.

"I could really use them myself," he said softly, he hadn't really put in an effort to make his voice sound particularly female since he was outside the Gerudo Town walls, but this man didn't seem to mind. He seemed a little taken aback by Link's request though.

"Huh, you want my sand boots?" the man asked. Link nodded whereupon the man a bit distressed turned away and rubbed his neck. "Geez, I don't know, they're pretty rare and all…" he mumbled. Link did his best to look pleading and not breaking eye contact. It made the man's concerned face slowly turn into a grin. "I mean sure, of course you can have them," he said and took a few steps toward the attractive girl; he was determined not to reject her. Link was relieved and sat up from his uncomfortable pose of seducement. The man kept coming closer though and didn't stop until he stood in front of the crate and put his hands on it, trapping Link from going anywhere.

"I'll give them to you hungry little boot monster, in exchange for a favor," the man said, his smirking face was uncomfortably close, his brown eyes penetrating Link's. He pushed himself between Link's knees so he had to spread them. The man was so close Link could smell his sweatiness mixed with cologne.

To Link's horror he didn't find himself completely repelled. Sure the fact that the man was a stranger made him wary, but the slight touch from the man's hips on his knees sent a jolt of excitement through him. Even though the man's appearance and conduct bothered him, Link was deeply ashamed to admit to himself that he wanted to be touched.

"Ahem!" a throat was cleared. Both Link and the man turned their heads to the side. Link had neither been happier or more embarrassed to see Serven's face. He was dressed in his usual hunting cape but underneath he had on new garb more suited for the desert. With his hands on his hips he regarded Link and the unknown man. He appeared amused by the scene, raising one eyebrow and flashing a peculiar smile, like he just heard a bad joke he secretly found funny.

"Am I interrupting something?" Serven asked, trying with all his might to hold in a wider grin. The unknown man gained a territorial look against Serven and straightened up to address him.

"As a matter of fact you are, my friend," the man said in annoyance, "would you mind giving us some privacy."

Link instantly threw Serven a look filled with dismay. The shrewd hunter remained cool however and confidently headed up to them.

"Another time, pal. The lady and I must be off," he said as he took heavy strides across the sand. The man looked displeased at Link.

"Is this guy your boyfriend or something?" he asked, pointing with his thumb at Serven. Link had no time to answer before Serven came up and put his arm around him.

"No. As a matter of fact, she's my mother," he said. The man looked petrified, he was not sure whether Serven was joking or not. Link was glad he wore the veil because his own surprised face might have had ruined it.

"Yeah, it was an experiment gone wrong, trapping her inside the body of a teenager. All I can say is don't ever seek medicinal help from Sheikahs," Serven prattled on, "she may look fresh, but she actually turns 98 years old next week," he said cupping one hand next to his mouth like he was whispering it to the stunned man.

"That's not true," Link interfered, crossing his arms and staring at Serven, "you know I turn 97."

The corner of Serven's mouth twitched into a half smile.

"Well dear, what matters is that you're as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside," Serven said courteously and planted a kiss on Link's forehead, right on his bangs. Link played along and looked pleased, and tried to ignore that his stomach fluttered by the gesture.

"All right well, I'll just…" the man awkwardly retrieved his backpack and threw it on his back. "Sorry about the whole… Sheikah thing," he said and made a hand gesture at Link. Then he set off, continuing his jog down along the town wall. When he was at a safe distance Link and Serven let out the laughter they had been holding in.

"Dammit, you cost me one pair of sand boots," Link sniggered and released himself from Serven's hold.

"What, I leave you alone for a little while and then find you being hit on by strange dudes," Serven chuckled and gave Link's shoulder a nudge. Link leaped off the crate and turned around.

"I just wanted his sand boots," he said cunningly and pulled the veil off his head to properly scratch his hair.

"I believe you, that guy wasn't really your type anyway," Serven said leaning against the crate. Link frowned at him with a smile. Of course the sand boots man wasn't his "type" but the notion implied that he did have a type which left him lost for words.

"But who can blame him really? Any man would find it hard to resist a Hylian girl dressed like a Gerudo vai," Serven said, he was so factual about it that Link doubted it was meant as a compliment toward him.

"Yeah well, it's the only clothes I have for the desert," Link said and put his veil back on. "I see you got new threads though."

Serven took a step back and held his arm out to fully display his new clothes. He had on a short-sleeved cream-colored tunic in a light fabric that wrapped across his slender torso, it was held in place by a maroon sash. He also wore a pair of dark sirwal trousers with subtle pattern, probably something a Gerudo voe would wear. The pants were tucked into his old boots.

"You like 'em?" Serven said prodly, "I bought 'em from the merchant you recommended in Kara Kara Bazaar."

"You mean Vilia?" Link furrowed his dark blonde eyebrows, "she sells men's clothes too?" he questioned and reached for his quiver on the crate.

"Yeah but not much and it was pretty overpriced. But I got a little discount when I told her I knew the cute Hylian guy that came by earlier," Serven smirked.

"Oh really?" Link said sarcastically. He tied the quiver to the leather strap across his hip and swept it around so the arrows hung at his rear.

"No not really," Serven said and regarded Link as he got to his scimitar sword. Attaching the sword with its sheath to the leather strap across his back was the part Link usually struggled with. Now was no exception so Serven stepped behind him and interfered with Link's fidgeting fingers. Link quietly allowed the assistance to fasten the sheath and let his hands fall to the sides.

"But she did talk about how adorable the Hylian boy looked as a vai so I figured out who she was referring to," Serven said smiling. Link didn't respond but reached for his bow that he took from the corpse of a lizalfos a few days ago. _Might as well,_ he thought and held up the bow to the side. Serven grabbed it and hung it on Link's back.

"You need a squire," Serven noted, "don't knights usually have squires?"

Link crouched down to pick up his round bedazzled Gerudo shield that stood on the ground leaned against the crate.

"I haven't been appointed one," he said and stood. He hung the shield atop the weapons on his back and spun around facing Serven, resting his thumbs at his belt. "Besides, I can manage on my own."

Serven stood with his arms crossed eyeing him for a moment. Link wondered what he was thinking and tried reading his expression. Serven then turned away and chuckled.

"Come on. Let's go rent some sand seals."

* * *

It was close to noon and Serven was sating his hunger with some dried beef and an apple. He sat resting on the edge of a round platform that glowed in a low blue light. Apart from the desert winds that blew past, Kurosa Valley was oddly quiet. However, there was an ominous feeling of constantly being watched. Serven had adjusted to that feeling well enough to lay his bow to the side and have a meal. But he stayed alert and kept watch.

Assuming he heard a noise he glanced back over his shoulder at the shrine, but there was nothing. It was still glowing bright blue at the base and orange at the top. Serven hummed and continued gnawing away at the chewy meat. He returned to viewing the scenery and decided that despite the Yiga Clan, the Kurosa Valley was quite beautiful. The orange cliffs ahead formed a roof here and there above, making the valley hard to spot for potential mountain climbers. The bright sunlight found its way through though, shining through the roof like spotlights. This was quite a view from the large cliff ledge Serven and Link had found the shrine on.

They had first been approaching the sand storm which blocked the entrance to the valley, only to establish that it was indeed too thick to navigate through. Not even the map on Link's Sheikah slate could make heads or tails of it. So they had been forced to make their way around the storm and accessing the valley by climbing the mountains. It had taken them a couple of hours, despite Link and Serven both being good climbers.

Serven turned around again upon hearing another noise. This time it was a real one for the floor inside the shrine parted and shortly Link appeared on a platform elevating from underneath. He wobbled a little when the platform came to a halt and then he stepped out of the shrine while tugging on his weapon's strap. By now the orange glow had changed and the entire shrine beamed of blue.

"Everything went well?" Serven asked and rose to his feet on the platform in front of the shrine. Link nodded.

"I um… think I'm gonna change clothes. Then we'll keep going," he said and shaded his eyes with his hand to view the way ahead.

"All right," Serven responded, turned his back toward Link and retook his seat on the platform. While he ate the last of his apple, Link began changing.

Serven could hear the clinking of metal and rustling of fabric tossed to the ground. From the corner of his eye he saw Link's figure moving and taking on a darker semblance as another outfit was put on. When he figured Link was fully dressed he glanced at him. Link was facing the shrine and wore a set of clothes Serven had never seen him in; a skin-tight body suit in dark blue. Link was in the process of fastening a light piece of armor to it that protected his shoulders and rib cage. When it was fastened he reached for the leather band of his pony tail and slid it off. Without any warning he then bent over from the waist so all his hay blonde hair fell forward. As he collected his hair in a high bun Serven discreetly eyed the modest curve of Link's rear. The tights hardly left anything to the imagination and hugged Link's shapely legs from thighs to ankles. Serven savored it carefully during the few seconds he looked and then quickly turned away, like he had just directly stared into a solar eclipse.

Later, Link stepped up to him. The high bun was in place on top of his head, and as usual he left some tresses framing his face. He had also swept a long grey scarf around his neck. Even when dressed functional, he looked stunning.

"Gimmie some beef," he said, reaching out his glove-clad open palm. Serven handed him a few strips of dried meat. Link eagerly set his teeth in one and tore off a mouthful. He swallowed it without barely chewing. Serven took the time to adjust his own pieces of armor. He had put on plates protecting his lower arms and an extra piece over his sash.

"Ready to go?" Link asked, already chewing on his last strip of meat.

Serven picked up his bow with an arrow and rose. In a quick turn he drew the string and fired the arrow. It clashed against the stone of the shrine and threw sparks around its hit; the eye of the Sheikah symbol, before it fell to the ground.

"I'm ready," Serven said and lowered his bow. Link paused chewing and watched the spot the arrow had it with a subtle smile.

"Hold on to those arrows," he said, swallowing the last piece of beef and brushing his hands off against each other.

They collected their weapons and Serven helped Link fasten his sword. When they were ready they started heading away from the shrine and into the valley. Streams of sand fell down here and there from the cliffs above. Serven folded the hood over his head to avoid it, Link handled it by grunting when the sand fell on his head.

After some time of wandering, curious frog statues appeared in front of them. It was the same kind of statues positioned on cliff shelves all over the valley. However, these adorned cloths over their faces, painted with an upside down Sheikah eye, a signature the Yiga Clan apparently adopted as their own. Link recognized it from one day on the road when he came across a lone traveler who violently tugged on his arm to ask him to join the Clan. When Link had refused, the traveler turned vicious and shape shifted into a red disguise, wearing a mask bearing the very same upside down Sheikah symbol.

"Do you see that red haze?" Serven uttered precariously. Link turned his attention from the statues to the way ahead, and instantly raised his guard. Just like his companion said, a red vapor had formed in the air a few yards ahead, drawing to three distinct sources.

Serven put an arrow to his bow and began slowly stepping backwards, while Link wrapped his fingers around the handle of the scimitar on his back and grabbed his shield.

At once, the sources erupted in clouds of smoke, making Link jump to drawing his sword and shielding himself. Serven quickly raised his bow and aimed the arrow. The smoke faded and three figures clad in red appeared. The blood-red Yiga eyes on their masks stared at the two intruders before the three soldiers jumped into the air and disappeared in the same puffs of smoke. Almost immediately the red haze reappeared in three different places, this time closer to them. Serven threw himself behind one of the frog statues and Link readied himself for combat.

Once again the clouds of smoke burst and the three Yiga Clan members presented themselves, all aiming their bows at the boy clad in Sheikah armor. Link raised his shield and wobbled from the force of three arrows clashing against it. He lowered the shield just in time to see Serven's arrow hit one of the goons in the shoulder. The member swayed from the hit, fell to his knees and put his hand to the injury. As the other two vaporized, Link took his chance and sprinted toward the injured one. Using the speed he had running up to the enemy, he took a sharp swing with his scimitar and drew it across the neck. The Yiga member gulped for air as blood streamed from the wound, before he fell to the ground.

Link quickly turned around to face the two remaining with his shield. He felt an arrow hit the shield and saw another land in the sand right next to him. At that point, one of the Yiga members let out a cry of pain, another result of Serven's lethal hits. Link decided to lay his target on the last goon who jumped and made his disappearance mid air. With great focus, Link scanned his surroundings for the premonition of the goon's reappearance. Serven ran up to his injured prey to land the death blow, whereupon Link discovered the red haze forming behind his back.

With the adrenaline exploding inside him, Link shot forward as the Yiga member appeared. Serven had just fired his arrow through the wounded member's heart and he was not going to notice the one behind him, load his bow and shoot before the member shot at him first. So Link took a leap against the enemy, raised his sword with the blade down and using the force of his weight he came down with his sword boring deep into the Yiga member's chest.

Link fell on top of the goon and they rolled aside into a pile in the sand. The arrow meant for Serven had flown into the cliffs and the Yiga member's bow broke in two. Serven acknowledged the loud crash and stepped toward the entangled rivals. Using his foot, he pushed the limp dead body of the Yiga member off of Link.

"Are you hurt?" Serven asked kneeling down. Link shook his head and slowly sat up. He felt bruised in a few places but in his experience, it was nothing to call yourself hurt over.

"Shit, I didn't see that one coming behind me. Thanks," Serven said with a sincere expression. Their eyes met and Link didn't know what to say. So he turned around and pulled his sword out from the dead body. He wiped the blood-stained blade off on the body's clothes. Red on red.

They ransacked the corpses for a couple of arrows and a surprisingly high amount of rupees that they split between them. When they kept on heading forward, passing more frog statues staring at them with one red eye, the valley reduced to a passage. It led to what Link at first thought was a small cave, but upon entering it turned to be massive circular temple. It was being surveyed by grand statues of robust soldiers, tall as buildings. They were all facing the cave's center; a podium surrounded by burning torches.

Link and Serven craned their necks to imbibe the magnificent place.

"This is nicer than I thought it would be," Serven mumbled. He walked up closer to one of the statues. Like the rest of them, it was masked with a sheet of the Yiga symbol and tightly clung to a sword. "These statues must be ancient, and they remind me of the seven heroines, there's a striking resemblance. Nana said they stood in a circle like this, holding swords to the ground."

"Except there's eight of them here," Link noted. He climbed the stairs to the empty podium. He expected some sort of trap but none was triggered. The place was eerily quiet and he wondered if the Yiga clan hideout was a myth. Perhaps this was only a temple visited for special ceremonies. There was one thing he found odd though.

"What do you make of the stairs, is it some sort of game?" he questioned. Between every statue there was a set of stairs leading up to Yiga banners that hung from the ceiling. Underneath hung heavier tapestries that hid the fact whether the stairs led up to something or not.

"What, like choose the right path or death awaits?" Serven said and sauntered to the podium.

"Exactly..." Link responded absent-mindedly while eyeing the banners.

"Well, if that is the case," Serven said and climbed the stairs before approaching Link on the podium. He crossed his arms and gave the young knight a challenging look. "What path would the chosen one choose?"

* * *

The stone wall felt cold and dusty against Link's fingers. He pushed himself close to it as he inched forward down a set of steps. The specially woven fabric of his Sheikah body suit followed his every move of a muscle and made his movements almost completely soundless.

He crouched down and moved to the corner of the wall. From there, without being seen he could spot the Yiga Blademaster standing guard at the other end of the room. He glanced up to the left at the ceiling for his archer. On top of a tall pile of crates, Serven sat crouching with his bow loaded. When he caught Link's eye, Link raised a finger in the air and pointed it forward. Serven nodded at the command and raised his bow, aiming in the Blademaster's direction. The arrow fired and hit the weak wooden pole supporting a shelf full of boxes. The pole cried out a painful creak before it gave in, the Yiga Blademaster jumped as the boxes smashed to the ground. Some of them broke open and spewed out clusters of bruised bananas.

Although Link couldn't see the Blademaster's facial expression through the Yiga mask, he could hear him cussing while moving over to the wreckage. Link then made his move. While still huddling down, his fast legs moved him over to some crates to take cover behind. When he carefully peeked around the corner he could see the Blademaster's back as he kneeled down, eagerly peeling one of the bananas.

Link drew his scimitar and creeped forward. Even though the body suit worked in his favor he barely drew a breath as he came closer and closer to the enemy. When he was right behind the red-clad back he stood up, swiftly raised his sword and carved it deep into the top of the Blademaster's spine. The body stiffened from sudden shock, then it relaxed from shutting down and the blademaster fell dead to the ground. The half-eaten banana tumbled to the ground next to him.

Placing a foot on the heavy man's back, Link drew his sword out and repeated the procedure of wiping the blood off on the body. He heard familiar steps and turned around to see Serven scampering towards him. They both removed the fabrics covering their mouths and looked at each other with satisfaction.

"So sneakstriking works on the tough ones," Serven said.

"It appears so," Link responded, glancing over at the bleeding corpse. From learning the hard way, they had discovered earlier that the tough Yiga Blademasters differed from the swift archers. Their bodies were ridiculously robust and an arrow to the chest hardly caused any damage, aside from giving away your location.

"Don't you think it's strange how few there are of them guarding this place?" Serven noted, furrowing his eyebrows. Link bit his lip.

"I don't know, but we should move on," he said and grabbed his mask with his fingertips. But before he pulled it over his mouth he added, "nice work with the bow by the way."

Serven gave him one of his usual shrewd smiles, where the corner of his mouth crept up along with a provocative look in his eyes that made Link warm.

"Move on then, slugger," Serven said, and without expectation giving Link a playful tap to the hip with his bow. Link obeyed and covered the lower part of his face with the mask as they sneaked through the entrance the blademaster had died guarding.

They climbed a set of stairs that led to a corridor with a ladder on the other end. To their right was a passage that led to a larger room. Upon closer inspection the room seemed to function as a huge storage of valuable wares since apparently, this was where most of the guards were patrolling.

"So this is where they're hiding," Serven said in a low voice as he viewed the place over Link's shoulder.

"Apparently," Link said and huddled against the wall. A few yards away the red figure of a guard turned facing the entrance and the two young men immediately crouched down behind the crate in front of them. Link turned himself to Serven.

"Did you see that balcony on the left side of the room? I think the ladder leads up there," he whispered through his mask.

"You're probably right," Serven said, "pretty good spot for an archer, eh?" His expression turned cocky. Link smirked behind his mask and nodded. "All right," Serven said nonchalantly and reached around to secure the bow on his back, "but I'll need to redose, I think the effect is wearing off."

Link fished around in his pouch and plucked out the small glass bottle Serven had given him several weeks ago. He had since then continued to use it for the elixirs that heightened the senses and made him move even more silently. He drank half of the bottle's remains and gave the rest to Serven who quickly gulped it down.

"I'll sneak up on them one by one, until they're all taken care of. You just cover me if there's trouble," Link said to which Serven nodded. "I'll wait here for about three minutes so you can get up there and position yourself."

"What if someone's up there?"

"You kill them."

Link's blue eyes pierced Serven's with grave seriousity that could not be debated against.

"Got it," Serven said obediently. Link nodded again and turned to the room. He expected to hear Serven rise and leave. But instead he heard him coming closer behind, until he felt the man's breath tickle his Hylian ear.

"Good luck."

The whisper was hasty, and when Link glanced over his shoulder, Serven was turning the corner, heading for the ladder.

Serven could already smell the wood of the ladder, he could also clearly see each individual thread of the rope that held the pieces of wood together as he soundlessly scampered toward it. While he climbed the ladder he heard two low voices from the other room, exchanging a couple of words about grabbing something to eat in the next hour.

To his relief, the balcony was deserted. Yet he crouched down and sneaked to the edge where he had a good view of the entrance where Link would emerge.

On cue, he saw the blonde head peeking behind the crate, he seemed to have his eyes set on a guard who was slowly patrolling past. Serven's eyes followed Link's dark blue figure as it sneaked up on the guard, and like a professional assassin rose up with his scimitar and cut the unbeknown enemy down.

Serven smiled to himself, it was a delight to watch Link in action. It really shined through how secure he was in his fearless role as a knight and a champion.

He wondered how many people had watched the Hylian protégé like he was doing now. He pictured the high and mighty champions he knew Link had fought beside, and the holy princess with her royal court, all admiring the way he moved and how he mastered a sword. Regardless if some had praised his strength or others had taken pleasure in viewing the beauty of it, Serven highly doubted that he was the first one to be infatuated with the blonde wonder child, a radiant knight chosen by the goddesses to save the world. The thought made Serven's smile fade away.

Link was now shadowing a guard heading under the balcony, so Serven moved along it to find a better spot where he would have a clear view of them both. It was not long until he discovered a small room at the other end of the balcony, and when he saw it he could not believe his eyes. Even though they were considered rare where he came from, he had seen bananas before, just never this large amount of them. They were piled up in the middle of the room, so many bunches they would probably feed all the guards in the Yiga hideout for weeks. Serven found their bright yellow color so unusual and valuable it might as well have been a pile of gemstones laying there.

He had heard that bananas from Hyrule could give certain powers of strength, apparently powers that the Yiga clan was not shy of harvesting. It would have been foolish not to steal some for himself and Link, the bananas were probably stolen in the first place anyway. So hanging the bow on his back, Serven went for the pile. It would only take him a minute, the chosen knight could manage on his own that short.

* * *

After Link had wiped the blade of his sword, he dragged the carcass of his second victim behind a crate by the corner of the room to withhold suspicion. The remaining guards seemed to be positioned at the other end of the room, the end with a big entrance further into the hideout. Link could see it from his hiding spot. It was guarded by two Blademasters who had such a good view of the room they would be tough to sneak up on.

Link wondered if he could distract them or if he and Serven should shoot one each at the same time. But that was risky since arrows where no good at these types, it had to be a perfect shot – two perfect shots.

He reconsidered the safer diversion and crept forward a little to get a better view of his options.

 **POOF!**

Link's entire body jumped when he heard the sudden blast behind him, he had no time to actively react before something hard and heavy came down on his back and smashed him to the ground.

He lost his breath for a few seconds and could feel a mild concussion throbbing inside his head after his chest and forehead had taken the hit against the dirt. He felt the weight lift from his back and was instead grabbed by his arms, by hands clad in blood-red gloves. Someone was hovering above him, holding him down. He could hear the breaths of the person as they leaned in closer.

"You're pretty far from home, boy."

One of the hands let go of his arm but instead grabbed his hair and pounded his already tendered head against the ground. Link saw stars and felt his nose run with blood as his sword was stolen from its sheath and thrown like garbage to the side. He felt so dizzy he could not fight back. The enemy took their chance, grabbed Link's ankles and dragged him back behind the crate. Link began thrashing around but it only made it easier for the Yiga member to kick the shield and bow off his back.

When they stopped dragging him, the heavy Blademaster sat down on his upper back and pinned his arms to the ground.

"And you nicked old Zats and Chunk," the Blademaster clicked his tongue a few times, "that's gonna cost ya."

In a swift move he put Link's arms behind his back and locked his wrists together with one hand. Link felt relieved being able to breathe normally again when the Blademaster moved down from his upper back. But he remained atop the beaten knight and leaned in to speak with his shifty unsettling voice.

"Do you know what we do to little Sheikah brats like you?"

Link tried to wriggle himself free, but the man's massive body on top of his own meekly 110 pounds held him trapped like a worm pierced on a hook.

The Blademaster leaned in so close to whisper the last part Link could feel the rasping stubble of the man's chin against his ear.

"We shove our swords through them."

When pronouncing _swords_ , the Blademaster pushed his groin against Link's butt. Link felt shock followed by instant panic and began wriggling more frantically. He could not shout for the fear of attracting more guards to the spot. He was only pleading and cussing at the same time as he sensed the Blademaster's fingers began trailing inside his tights and then the brim of his underwear to pull them down. When his skin met the cold air his mind was rushing like a wild horse, it ran against the wall of a cliff, whining through the wind. _Swoosh!_ Then it crashed hard and loud, stone smashing meat.

The Blademaster stopped in his motion, his throat made strange gasps before it sounded like he threw up and Link felt something warm splash down on the back of his head and running down his neck. The elixir in his bloodstream allowed his sense of smell to immediately recognize the scent of blood.

Once again the heavy body fell down on his, only this time it was limp.

It took Link a few moments to crawl out from underneath the large corpse and push it off of him. Exhausted, he slowly sat up on his knees to awkwardly readjust his tights and boxers; they had only been pulled halfway down his rear.

He glanced at the dead Blademaster who had tumbled on his back. His Yiga mask had been lifted a bit, allowing Link to see most of his unshaved blood-splattered face. The expression looked stunned. Perhaps it was justified by the arrow that was pierced straight through the Blademaster's neck. It was a perfect hit.

 **A/N  
I know that in the game, the Yiga hideout is not filled with crates but rather large blocks of rocks, but that really doesn't make sense does it.**

 **Furthermore, I switched the blue nightshade to firefly elixir. It has been rewritten in the former chapter as well.**


End file.
